Dramatically boosting California’s film tax credit program, Gov. Jerry Brown announced Wednesday a plan to triple the pot of money for entertainment companies that shoot in the Golden State.

Under AB 1839, the state’s annual tax credit program will rise from $100 million to $330 million, a move that keeps California on par with New York, which hands out $420 million a year to the entertainment industry.

Brown’s support for financial subsidies for Hollywood comes after the governor appeared hesitant to expand the program. In January, Brown likened film tax incentives to an “arms race between one state and another state,” and his office had refused to comment on AB 1839 in recent months.

At the same time, Los Angeles-area politicians, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, have made a significant public relations push to garner support for an expanded program and kept runaway production as a growing concern for the state.

On Wednesday, Brown’s office tweeted a photo of the governor sitting with a group of state legislative leaders, including Senate President pro Tempore-Elect Kevin de León. “This law will make key improvements in our Film and Television Tax Credit Program and put thousands of Californians to work,” Brown said in a statement.

Under AB 1839, which still must pass the Senate, the program’s cap will be lifted to $330 million, effective next year. The lottery system will be replaced, and instead projects will be picked on the production’s job-creating capacity. Additionally, blockbuster films and some new types of television dramas, both currently ineligible for the program, will be able to apply.

Numerous unions representing film and television workers spoke out in support Wednesday of the new program. “This is a huge victory for our industry, for our members,” said Steve Dayan, secretary/treasurer of Teamsters Local 399, which represents casting directors, animal handlers and other workers.

Paul Audley, president of Film L.A., which oversees film permits in Los Angeles County, predicted the new program will “have a really strong impact on what we’re able to draw back to California.”

Under the state’s film tax credit program, which first launched in 2009, production companies can apply to receive the tax credits, which can be used toward expenses on a shoot. Studies vary on the effectiveness of the tax credit program, with at least one study released earlier this year finding that the state gets back only about 65 cents for each $1 of tax credit.

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The same study, released by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, cautioned that increasing the amount of state subsidies may not bring the entertainment industry to California.

Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a state group devoted to taxpayer issues, on Wednesday accused the state legislature of “picking out one sector because it’s sexy” and said subsidies aren’t the way to address California’s economic problems.

“You can’t overcome the fact that, overall, this is a high tax state with a crushing regulatory environment. Good business people see that, and they’re leaving,” Vosburgh said.

Brown’s bill comes days after North Carolina legislatures moved to wind down their own film tax credit program amid concerns that the film industry was being singled out over other industries.

But joining with entertainment workers in Burbank to celebrate Brown’s announcement, Garcetti drew a distinction between California and North Carolina, calling the Golden State’s program more responsible than other states’ plans because it was more selective when handing out financial incentives.

He also praised the job-building potential of AB 1839, calling it “huge.”

“This is one of the quickest, most quantifiable ways to get jobs back to this region, almost overnight,” Garcetti said.

Since taking office last year, Garcetti has led an aggressive push to increase the state’s program, appointing a film czar to oversee production issues in the city and gathering signatures of support for AB 1839 from Los Angeles County mayors. The state study showed that more than 90 percent of the state’s entertainment jobs are located in Los Angeles County.

Extending his jobs-building agenda, Garcetti on Wednesday also said he would announce his plan to raise Los Angeles’ minimum wage to $13.25 by 2017 next week, on Labor Day, in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in South L.A.

“It concerns me that 20 percent of Los Angeles lives in poverty,” Garcetti said. “That people can work full time and not support themselves.”